


Won't You Dance This Dance With Me? Pt3

by AtowncalledMalec



Series: Tentacletober [18]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, malec - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Birth, Eggpreg, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Octababies, Other, Protective Alec Lightwood, Protective Magnus Bane, Supportive Alec Lightwood, Tentacles, check the notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 10:41:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21135386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtowncalledMalec/pseuds/AtowncalledMalec
Summary: Magnus finally goes into labor with the octababies.Pt3 of the mini-series, #WYDTDWMThis work is not to be reposted anywhere else or translated without my permission.





	Won't You Dance This Dance With Me? Pt3

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Won't You Dance This Dance With Me? Pt2](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21074495) by [AtowncalledMalec](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtowncalledMalec/pseuds/AtowncalledMalec). 

> Somehow, this has become a mini-series. This will be the last part unless someone else wants to write more for it. If it tickles your pickle then have at it but please let me know and link me once it's done.
> 
> Trigger Warnings;  
There is natural male birth in this one. Although I write a lot of A/B/O, this is my first natural birth so, yay!
> 
> There are a couple of difficult births here, each with their own complications so be aware of that, please. (they're all fine though)
> 
> There are also mentions of stillbirth. Not Magnus but there are still mentions of it. So please only read if you can.
> 
> Prompt #19 Protective Tentacles
> 
> Ps, I skipt #18, in space. I couldn't think of anything for it.

Magnus woke in Alec’s arms, confused and disoriented. They were in their human form, sleeping on the mattress that he kept around in his sleeping cave for times when he indulged. The last three weeks had been spent like this while they had gotten to know each other, the longest he had spent in his human form for years.

Magnus had stared at Alec in disbelief when Alec had told him that he and his sister, the female that he had chased away from their mating site, had spent the last year in human form. 

While it wasn’t uncomfortable to live with legs, Magnus didn’t understand why someone would choose it for that long. Who would choose the boring human world when the ocean and all it had to offer lay at their tentacles?

They had gotten to know each other well during his pregnancy, falling for each other, hard and fast whilst ensconced in his home cave system. It was near their mating site and Alec had insisted on moving them there when Magnus had told him of it. 

Looking around their sleeping cave, Magnus was glad that his mate had insisted. It was much more comfortable than the slab of stone that they had mated on. They had decided to relocate here permanently when Alec had seen it and fallen in love. He couldn’t say that he blamed his mate.

While they had been getting to know each other, Alec had explained that he still lived in his family’s home cave system with his parents which, as it turned out, was only about half a day’s swim from his own home. Alec had told him that their home was large like this one but nowhere near as interesting. His mate had a small family, two brothers and a sister, all born from the same mating. 

According to Alec, the four of them were close and usually spent as much time together as possible. Although, Alec’s brothers, Jace and Max, had stayed behind rather than follow Alec and Izzy in their quest for human adventure. Jace and Max had also been confused about why Alec and their sister would spend so long with humans.

Alec’s parents, however, weren’t as lucky as he and Alec had been in finding another Cecaelia that they could fall in love with. Apparently, they had never really bonded as a pair after their first mating. It happened occasionally. After all, most Cecaelia’s only mated based on mutual attraction. It wasn’t until after the first mating that they got to know each other. 

When Alec’s parents had spent their first three weeks getting to know each other, they had discovered that their mutual attraction had been the only thing that they had in common and even that had worn off a little. So Maryse and Robert had decided to remain friends, rather than try to force something that neither of them felt.

They had raised their family together but hadn’t gone through any further matings. Which explained why Alec’s family was so small. It also explained why Alec was ready to move to his cave system permanently. Cecaelia’s loved fiercly when they found their mates. And while Robert and Maryse loved their children fiercely, living with them had to have been uncomfortable while they weren’t in love with each other.

Magnus’ childhood had been very different. He had so many siblings that he had lost count of them all, his parents unbearably in love with each other. To the point where Magnus and his siblings had all gone off on their own very early on. Who wanted to stick around when their parents mated over and over again?

Alec had felt bad for him when Magnus had explained that his family had all spread out across the planet but he didn’t mind. They met up with each other every few years or so, bound by blood and duty towards each other. They hadn’t spent enough time together to form loving attachments but that was the Cecaelia way. 

Alec’s family was an unusual exception. 

As soon as Magnus’ siblings had been old enough to fend for themselves, most of them had broken away from the family, including him. Adventure and discovery had called to him. So he had set off to see what was out there.

Magnus had traveled far in his exploration of the planet’s oceans, settling on the other side of the world from his parents. The desire for adventure and the need to discover new things that had always pulsed through him was something that he had in common with Alec. Which explained why Alec loved his home system so much.

Magnus’ place was a system of underwater and dry caves, all filled with home comforts. Most of it was stuff that he had scavenged, junk that the thoughtless humans had tossed into the sea. Another reason why he didn’t want to live amongst them. They were too selfish, clogging his home with the crap that they deemed worthless.

Magnus had taken that junk and turned it into pieces of art, furniture for his dry caves, things to make his life easier. He liked to take the junk apart with his scavenged human tools and find new uses for the various parts. That desire for making use of the trash, and his artistic flair, showed in every cave of his home. 

His new mate had fallen in love when Magnus had shown him around his home. Alec had told him the names of the human debris that he had filled his caves with. Like the mattress for example. He had always just thought of it as the comfortable thing that he had found on the beach outside one of his dry caves until Alec had told him the name of it. But to him, it was just his stuff, things that made his life comfortable.

Comfortable. Magnus had almost forgotten what comfortable felt like. As nice as it was to lie with his mate in their bed, Alec’s arm resting over his swollen belly, he was supremely uncomfortable. Sure, his body was made to accommodate their children. But Alec had fucked ten eggs into him, a large number for one mating.

The eggs had gradually transformed into their children inside him. A shudder ran through Magnus when he remembered seeing an egg that his mother had birthed before it had developed when he was a child, something which happened now and then for reasons none of their race understood. 

The “shell” of the egg had been formed of a membrane that had a pale white, almost translucent, jelly-like consistency to it which should have formed the Cecaelia’s skin as the egg had developed. Thankfully, Magnus had kept all of his eggs over the last three weeks and they had developed into babies fast. Uncomfortably fast. 

The first week hadn’t been so bad. For a start, Magnus had been able to move around, albeit with Alec’s help. His mate had been a rock for him, supportive, loyal, caring. Feeding him whenever he had been hungry. Which was all of the time. He was constantly hungry, their babies consuming every bit of energy he took into his body.

The second week, however, had seen his belly expand as their children had grown. The eggs inside him had started expanding rapidly, stretching him until he could no longer see his human feet. In fact, they had grown so much that he was unable to move from their bed by the third week.

Magnus had spent the last week curled around his abdomen, lying on his side. Alec had waited on him hand and foot as the human expression went. 

The first week, Alec had gone out and caught them enough fish, crabs, and lobsters to keep them going. Then Alec had barricaded the entrance to their cave system, turning more and more protective as he had grown. Another Cecaelia trait that only went to show that he had chosen his mate wisely.

When Alec’s family had all turned up during his second week of pregnancy, Magnus had been looking forward to meeting them. But Alec wouldn’t let anyone near their cave system. He had gotten one look at them before Alec had bared his teeth and chased them all away. 

Maryse had wanted to stick around but Robert had pulled her away. Having been through the same thing when Maryse had been pregnant, Robert had understood Alec’s need to protect his family. So they had set up a temporary home in a separate cave system that adjoined his own and were waiting until he had birthed their children. 

Magnus was looking forward to meeting his new family but it was a natural part of Cecaelia life so he could be patient. Although, his patience was tested when an uncomfortable jolt somewhere deep inside him took his breath away. That had happened a few times over the last couple of weeks as the children’s tentacles had developed.

Rubbing his hand over his distended belly, Magnus willed his babies to settle so he could go back to sleep. Exhaustion had been his constant companion over the last week or so. He was hit with waves of it three or four times a day. A smile crept over his face when Alec’s fingers splayed over his belly. Even in his sleep, Alec was constantly there, protecting their babies.

Magnus could feel Alec’s soft snores against the nape of his neck where Alec was curled around him. The small puffs of warm air lulled him back to sleep. He would have liked to roll over and snuggle into Alec’s strong, hairy chest but that was impossible. He was contemplating waking Alec and making his mate lie in front of him to do just that when another uncomfortable lurch shot through his belly.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, rubbing at his large abdomen, Magnus screwed his eyes up to try and breathe through it. The sensation wasn’t pleasant. It felt like the babies were moving around inside him. They were probably trying to get comfortable. There wasn’t a whole lot of room in there and each child would probably be around the size of one of Alec’s hands round about now.

Another sharp jolt had Magnus gasping for air. The jolt was followed by a tight, pulling sensation that moved across his abdomen, as though someone was squeezing his belly. And it was painful enough to have him gripping Alec’s hand where it rested on his stomach.

“Alexander!” Magnus gasped, yanking on Alec’s arm. The pain subsided for a moment, giving him a chance to breathe. He tightened his grip when Alec shot up next to him. 

“What is it?” Alec asked, his voice sleep-gruff, utterly confused about why he was suddenly awake. He peeked over Magnus’ shoulder, meeting his mate’s golden gaze when Magnus turned to look at him, seeing Magnus’ worried frown.

“I think the babies are coming,” Magnus muttered, curling around his stomach when another tight pain sawed over his belly. The babies were definitely moving around in there.

“Now? Are you sure? They’re coming right now?” Alec asked, losing his head for a moment.

“Fuck, help me!” Magnus moaned as the pain dragged out a little. They didn’t have much time. Cecaelia births were fast.

Alec got a grip of himself when he heard the pain in Magnus’ voice. Shaking sleep and his worry off, he hauled himself to his feet and grabbed the edge of the mattress, dragging it over to the edge of the rock it was perched on. 

“Are you ready?” Alec asked, slipping over the edge of the rock and into the water. His legs transformed into his tentacles as soon as the water hit him. 

“Quick, I don’t want to be stuck like this,” Magnus groaned as another wave of pain hit. If he didn’t get in the water now, he would be giving birth in his human form and that wasn’t an option. His body wouldn’t be able to take it. 

They had tried mating like humans during their first week together. While it had been pleasurable once they had gotten the hang of it, it had taken a minute to get there. There was hardly any stretch to his human hole and Alec had had to work him open for that. It definitely wasn’t stretchy enough to birth one baby, never mind ten. Not like his Cecaelia form, which was designed to birth their young.

Alec clung onto the side of the rock with his tentacles and pushed his arms under Magnus’ body, scooping his mate into his arms. He went as gently as he could as he lowered them both into the water but it sounded like his mate was in a lot of pain. As much as he wanted to panic, Magnus was more important right now.

“You can do this. I love you,” Alec whispered in Magnus’ ear as he held him close to his chest on the surface of the water.

“I love you too,” Magnus groaned, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to talk again until their babies were birthed. Relief flooded him when Alec sunk under the water. His legs transformed, and with them, the rest of his body. There was still pain, he could feel the first one moving down but he knew that his body could handle it now.

The tips of Magnus’ tentacles ached slightly. Gripping one of them, he pulled the tip eye level, thanking Posieden when he saw the nipple that had formed there. He would be able to feed his babies. Each tentacle had a tender protrusion, ready for when his children needed them. The fact that he only had six tentacles meant that he would have to feed them in shifts until they could handle fish. 

Alec lay Magnus on the ocean floor, on his back and pressed a kiss to Magnus’ lips, his hand coming up to sweep his thumb over Magnus’ cheek. He smiled when Magnus gripped his hand, holding it there for a moment. When Magnus’ eyes went wide, he let go and moved to where Magnus’ tentacles had fanned out.

Magnus levered himself up on his elbows, wishing that Alec could hold him but someone needed to be at the other end. His fingers sunk into the sand, looking for something to grip onto. Thankfully, two of Alec’s tentacles reached through his own, giving him something to grip. 

When the first baby came, Magnus pushed with everything he had, feeling his entrance stretch to push his baby out. It was like someone had set his hole on fire when he felt the head pass out of him but this was why he needed to be in his true form. There was no ripping or tearing. He inhaled a cloud of water, letting it pass through his gills as he gave another push.

Alec had thought he was ready but nothing prepared him for seeing his first child. His tentacles wrapped around Magnus’, rubbing over his mate’s tentacles and underside to try and soothe him. Reaching out when Magnus pushed the baby’s head out, he stroked his fingers over his baby’s head. When he saw the shoulders come out, he pushed his hands under the baby and held on when the rest of him shot out. They had a boy!

Tears stung at Alec’s eyes when he held his first tiny baby, the boy fitting perfectly into his cupped hands. Their son was translucent and hairless but that would change over the next day or so. Two tiny human arms flailed and six tiny tentacles wrapped around his fingers, absolutely melting him. Pressing a kiss to the baby’s head he watched the boy’s gills open before handing their son over to Magnus.

Magnus took a moment to breathe, already feeling the next one start to make its way down his birth canal. When Alec placed a writing baby on his chest, he let his tears mingle with the water that surrounded them. He saw Alec mouth the word ‘boy’, his heart bursting with love already. Which only increased when he felt tiny suckers grip onto his chest, just beneath his chin.

Magnus checked that their son’s gills were working as he pushed the next one’s head out, gripping one of Alec’s tentacles tightly to deal with the burning stretch while he stroked his fingers over his boy’s face and chest. He couldn’t wait for the baby’s eyes to open to see if they would be hazel or gold. It would take a few hours and he was already impatient.

Alec supported their next baby as Magnus pushed the shoulders out, the rest sliding out easily when the shoulders had cleared Magnus’ body. They had another boy. He was as translucent and hairless as his brother but he was equally as beautiful. And he had seven tentacles, all of them clinging onto his own tentacle when it came to investigating.

Stroking his son’s head when the boy’s gills started working, Alec felt his heart multiply when his boy’s arms wrapped around his tentacle too. A shiver ran through the appendage. Pressing a kiss to his tiny cheek, he let his tentacle pass the baby over as he prepared for the third baby. 

Magnus took his second son onto his chest, smiling and pressing a kiss to Alec’s tentacle when it hovered over the baby. He checked his second child over as seven little tentacles stuck to his skin, a few bubbles of relief escaping his mouth when he saw the baby’s gills working. Two boys, sitting next to each other on his chest.

They were beautiful but Magnus had to focus so he could push the third one out. The stretch was just as bad as the first two times but he pushed his next baby out, leaning into Alec’s tentacles when they caressed his own. A stream of bubbles escaped with a groan when a third tiny body left his.

Alec stared at his daughter when she popped out, small in his hands, filling them up with her tiny tentacles and small body. She was even more beautiful than her brothers- if that was possible. He swept his thumb over her chest, his grin spreading from ear to ear when her gills opened up.

Alec was about to hand her over to Magnus when he saw another head breach Magnus’ entrance. Instead, he placed his daughter on his shoulder, feeling her tiny suckers stick to his skin. Wrapping a tentacle around her body, he reached out just in time to catch another son. They were coming quicker now.

Their third son joined their daughter, this one clinging to Alec’s chest with his suckers while another tentacle wrapped around his small body, so he could catch their fifth child. Just having a moment to reach out, he pulled one of Magnus’ tentacles to his chest so Magnus could feel their children.

Magnus grunted when he pushed their fifth baby’s head out. It seemed larger than the others. He would have panicked when Alec didn’t immediately hand their third and fourth children over but he could feel them on Alec’s body when Alec took hold of his tentacle. Sending a couple more tentacles out, he explored his unseen babies as he grunted his way through birthing number five’s shoulders. 

Number five was a chunk compared to the others. Another little boy. Alec weighed him in his hands, grinning at the size of him.  _ Chunky but funky _ , he thought when number five’s mouth opened immediately and a few bubbles escaped. The child looked like he was ready for something to eat already, his gills working furiously.

Taking numbers three, four, and five, with three of his tentacles, Alec pressed kisses to their head before passing them to his mate.

Magnus was running out of room, laughing when Alec’s tentacles placed three more babies on his rapidly decreasing stomach. They all had strong suckers already. So far, they had four boys and a girl. The largest one’s mouth was working overtime. He guessed that one was number five. 

Feeling number six work its way down his birth canal, Magnus reached out to number five with a tentacle, wondering if he was hungry. Pressing the already weeping nipple on his tentacle to the baby’s mouth, he grunted with surprise when his son latched on. The suckling sensation was strange but felt utterly right. 

Magnus pushed number six’s head out when he felt the burn once more, the streams of bubbles from his mouth coming faster. He was starting to feel tired again but he hadn’t finished yet. To distract himself from the pain of six’s shoulders, he pressed all of his tentacles to his children’s mouths, watching each one carefully to make sure they latched onto his nipples properly.

Alec caught child number six when Magnus shoved her out. A second daughter. She was beautiful, tiny with chubby cheeks and arms, little rolls of pudge around her chest. She was just as chunky as number five. When her gills didn’t open immediately, he fought down his panic and massaged them gently with his fingers, four of his tentacles hovering over his daughter.

It took a moment of rubbing both sides of her small neck but Alec got them working, tears escaping into the sea by the time he saw her gills open and close on their own. All of his tentacles rubbed at her small body and tentacles, each one shaking against her small body.

Smothering her face and head, arms and tentacles with kisses, Alec held her close to him. He pressed his ear to her small chest, listening to her small heart thudding away. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. His own heart melted when her tentacles curled around his ear and head, sticking to him like glue. 

Supporting their daughter with his shaking tentacles, Alec reached out to deliver number seven when another head made an appearance at Magnus’ entrance. 

Magnus pushed up a little off the ground as he pushed number seven’s head out. One of Alec’s tentacles had wrapped around his last remaining tentacle and was tugging at it. He couldn’t see what was going on but felt a suckling after a moment. Number six must have latched on.

Gritting his teeth, Magnus pushed number seven out. He had to grip Alec’s tentacle hard to manage it. Number seven was another big one. When one of Alec’s tentacles brushed against his face, rubbing over his forehead, he leaned into it, drawing strength from the protective appendage. 

All of Alec’s tentacles seemed to be very protective, Magnus noticed. Every now and then, one would snake over his body or rub over one of their children, checking them over. They were all happily suckling away as he watched over them. He was still waiting to see number’s six and seven by the time number eight left his body, but the babies were coming faster now so he forced himself to wait. They were safe with their dad. 

Alec took hold of numbers’ seven and eight with his tentacles, holding them to his chest with his appendages, needing his hands free for number nine, who’s head was crowning. They were both girls, both as beautiful as their sisters and brothers. Number six still clung to his shoulder, suckling away on one of Magnus’ nipples as though she hadn’t almost ended his life with her traumatic birth.

Numbers’ seven and eight had pressed their mouths to either side of Alec’s chin, both trying to suckle at his skin. The adorable suckling feeling was almost enough to steal his attention away from number nine but he forced himself to concentrate through it to support his fifth son’s body as it made its way into the world. 

Two of Alec’s tentacles took charge as Alec checked number nine over. They scooped numbers’ seven and eight up and delivered them into Magnus’ waiting hands, hovering over Magnus and the two babies while Magnus pressed kisses to their faces. The tentacles left number six where she was on Alec’s shoulder, leaving her to feed.

Magnus inspected his new babies, falling as hard in love with them as he had with the others, he smothered them in kisses, holding them to his face so he could breathe them in. Alec’s tentacles hovered all the while, keeping hold of their babies and brushing against his face.

When two of the babies stopped suckling and freed up two of his tentacles, Magnus pressed the nipples on the tips of them to the new babies’ mouths, having to hold them in his hands. He had no room left on his stomach and chest. He didn’t mind one bit, melting when their tiny tentacles wrapped around his fingers and stuck to him.

Alec clutched number nine, another boy, to his chest, holding him there with a tentacle when he didn’t grip onto his skin as the others had. The boy’s suckers hadn’t fully developed yet, still just tiny buds on the underside of his smaller tentacles. He felt an extra protective surge of love for the boy. 

Number nine was the smallest yet and Alec worried that he hadn’t fully developed. The baby had seven tentacles and his gills were working just fine but he was smaller and more translucent than the others. But equally as beautiful. A stream of bubbles escaped with a laugh when his son tried to latch onto one of his nipples, gripping his chest hair with his small human hands instead of his tentacles.

_ You won’t get anything out of there, baby _ , Alec thought as he waited for number ten to make their family complete. Only males who could birth children had the ability to feed their young. Number nine could suck as hard as he wanted, he would get nothing out of Alec.

Magnus sat up as carefully as he could when he felt number ten stop moving. The baby had been moving down his birth canal like the others but had stopped. Seeing their ninth child trying to suckle at Alec’s chest was a beautiful sight, something he would love to watch but the panic that was spreading through him had him waving at his mate.

When Alec looked up from his son, it was to find Magnus waving wildly at him. His remaining tentacles, the two that weren’t hovering over his babies, started quivering when he saw the panic that flashed in Magnus’ eyes.

It took Alec a few moments, and several hand gestures from Magnus to realize that number ten hadn’t made an appearance yet. Not even the baby’s head. His own panic flared. All of the other births had come in quick succession, each child following the others.

Magnus tried to push his baby out but it wouldn’t move and he was exhausted. Pushing nine out already had taken most of his strength. While his panic lent him enough strength to try, it wasn’t enough. Being as gentle as he could, he pulled a tentacle from one of the babies’ mouths, the chunky one who had already drunk a lot, and tried to push against his entrance with it.

Alec pulled Magnus’ tentacle away when he realized what Magnus was trying to do. His mate was trying to go in after their last child. The problem was, Magnus’ tentacle wasn’t long enough to be of any use. Meeting his mate’s gaze, seeing the desperate nod there, he handed number nine over to Magnus’ shaking tentacle.

Knowing that it was the only way, Alec gripped the base of one of Magnus’ tentacles to hold him in place with one hand. With the other, he pushed into Magnus’ entrance as gently as he could. Sure, Magnus could take his hand in with no problem but the wince on his mate’s face told him it must hurt.

_ Of course, it hurts, he’s just pushed nine children out _ , Alec chided himself. Magnus was bound to be sensitive. But his mate nodded his encouragement. So he pushed further in, feeling gently for their last baby. When Magnus’ rim closed over his wrist, he stopped. Understanding dawned when he felt tentacles against his fingers, wrapping around them.

Their last baby was trying to come out tentacles first and had gotten stuck in a bend in Magnus’ birth canal. Taking a couple of calming breaths, Alec pushed in a little further, pushing under the baby’s body and started to maneuver it.

Magnus swore that he would rather give birth nine times over than go through the grim feeling of whatever Alec was doing. Not only was it painful but it felt odd, a strange stretching sensation that he didn’t like one bit. Only the thought of holding his last baby in his arms kept him holding on.

Alec sagged with relief when he managed to turn their baby around. He could now feel the child’s small, smooth head in the palm of his hand. Going as gently as he could, he let go of the baby’s head and pulled his hand out of Magnus’ body, nodding to his mate when his fingers were free. His tentacles snaked out to wrap around Magnus when his mate nodded to him.

Magnus sunk into the grip of Alec’s tentacles as he pushed, grunting with the effort of getting their last baby out of his body. Alec’s tentacles rubbed at his back and shoulders, comforting him when the head breached his entrance. He had to stop for a moment, bubbles streaming out of him with every panting breath he took before he found the strength to give one last massive push.

Alec choked back his tears when their sixth son slid out into his hands, safe and sound, bringing the total up to four girls and six boys. He clutched his son to his chest for a moment, meeting Magnus’ gaze, seeing his own relief mirrored in Magnus’ beautiful eyes. Lifting the baby up to eye level, he grinned when he saw his boy’s small gills expelling water. 

Magnus was already reaching out for their child when Alec hovered over him and handed the child over, another boy. Relief crashed through him as he nuzzled into his boy’s small chest, the baby’s tentacles wrapping around his face.

Alec settled behind Magnus and pulled his family into his arms, his tentacles automatically wrapping around them all. All of his children were suckered to some part of Magnus’ body- arms, shoulders, chest, and stomach. They were all beautiful.

Magnus leaned back into Alec’s chest, turning his head when he felt Alec’s lips in his hair. The kiss Alec pressed to his lips when their mouths met spoke of Alec’s joy and pride. The same feelings welled up in him. 

Alec took some of the babies in his tentacles, freeing up some room so Magnus could move. His mate looked utterly exhausted. He clutched them close to his body, letting them cling to his skin and took Magnus’ hand. Leading the way through one of the underwater tunnels that connected all of the caves, he made his way into the main living area. All of the other caves surrounded the hub.

“I could sleep for a week,” Magnus said when they broke the surface in the living room. He settled on the rock that he usually lounged on, submerged under the water but high enough for his head to rise above the surface. The babies would need to stay submerged for the next few hours, too small to survive out of water for any extended period of time.

“Thank you for our babies,” Alec said, pressing his lips to Magnus’ cheek as he settled next to his mate, staring down at their children under the water. “I’m so proud of you. You did so well,” he murmured.

“That last one… thank you. For getting him out safe,” Magnus said, shuddering at the thought of what could have happened. “I think I want to wait a long while before we mate again. If that’s okay?” he asked, unsure if he could go through that again in a few weeks. 

“I think we have our tentacles full with what we already have,” Alec chuckled, wrapping an arm around his mate. “Sleep for a while. I’ll watch them,” he said, letting Magnus lay down. When Magnus lay his head in his tentacles, he stroked his fingers over their children, marveling at how much he already loved them.

Magnus set the last baby, the only one who hadn’t fed, on his chest, pressing a nipple to the baby’s mouth, he waited until the child latched on before he let sleep claim him. He knew Alec would watch the baby.

Alec did watch them. All of them were spread out between his and Magnus’ bodies. His tentacles hovered the entire time, soothing the babies when they groused, tugging Magnus’ tentacles to the children’s mouths when they looked like they needed feeding again.

Alec watched them for hours. Watching their skin darken slowly, the translucence being replaced with Magnus’ beautiful golden skin tone, just a shade or two lighter. He woke Magnus when their tentacles started changing color. As tired as his mate was, Magnus wouldn’t want to miss that.

Magnus stared at the array of tentacle colors when he woke, his tiredness fading away in an instant. As soon as their eyes started opening, roughly eight hours after their birth, they were ready to leave the water. 

“What should we call him?” Magnus asked, picking up a boy with seven red tentacles and golden eyes with slitted pupils, a replica of his own. They had already settled on names but had decided to wait until their tentacles came in to name them. That way, they would remember who was who.

“That one is Ezra,” Alec said confidently, staring at his beautiful chunky son, who had started screaming as soon as Magnus took him out of the water. They pressed kisses to his little face before Magnus set him on his stomach once more, their boy quieting down when he was back in the water and his mouth was filled with a nipple. 

“This one is Mina, don’t you think?” Alec asked, picking up their yellow tentacled daughter. She had his hazel eyes, the pupils slitted like Magnus’. She was quieter than Ezra, only grousing a little when she left the water.

Magnus agreed, taking his daughter’s small hand in his to press his lips to the back of it. “Meet, Eli,” he said, scooping up a baby boy with green tentacles and brown eyes, introducing the quiet baby to Mina and Alec. Eli looked too shocked to make a sound. He was lovely.

“He has my Mom’s eyes,” Alec said, shaking Eli’s hand with a chuckle. “These two are definitely Vivian and Lilly,” he said, holding up two of their daughters. Both of them had golden eyes with round pupils. Lilly had seven Lilac colored tentacles and Vivian had six deep purple ones. 

“My beautiful baby girls,” Magnus said, nestling his face in between the two screaming girls. He laughed against their damp, soft stomachs when both sets of tentacles wrapped around his face. The girls both calmed a soon as they made contact with his skin.

Alec gave in to his tentacles when they hovered, gently prying his daughters off of Magnus’ face so that two of the tentacles could take them. The babies cried out once more until the tentacles wrapped around them. Once they had skin contact once more, they settled down, their suckers clinging to his tentacles.

Two more of Alec’s tentacles hovered around them, snuffling into the girls’ bellies and over their bald heads. The children would start growing hair over the next few days. Either straight like Magnus’ or slightly wavy like his own hair but all of them would be dark-haired beauties.

“These are, Adrian, Antonio, and Aurora,” Magnus said, holding two of their sons and their last daughter with his tentacles. The boys had Alec’s blue tentacles but they were iridescent like his own, shining every color of blue when he turned them in the sunlight that filtered down from a hole in the ceiling. They both had hazel eyes with slitted pupils.

Aurora had golden tentacles and eyes, the pupils slitted. She was as beautiful as her sisters and already had a couple of sprouts of dark hair. 

Alec had a special kind of love for her as she was the one who’s gills had needed a little help. Not more than what he felt for the others but a special bond. He decided to wait a little while before telling Magnus so his mate could get used to her being whole and well.

“Those boys are going to give us trouble. Look at them,” Alec said, stroking his fingers over the boys’ cheeks. They were identical, down to their size besides one difference. Antonio had seven tentacles and Adrian had six.

Magnus could only agree. When he saw Alec watching Aurora with longing in his eyes, he handed her over to his mate, smiling when Alec tucked her into his neck. The sight of Alec with their babies melted his insides to goo.

“And these two…” Alec said, taking their last two boys in his hands. “These are Benjamin and Theodore,” he said, handing Benjamin over to Magnus. The boy had six black tentacles and golden eyes with round pupils. Lifting Theodore up, he inspected his boy’s white tentacles.

“Is he okay?” Magnus asked, noting that two of Theodore’s seven tentacles were a darker gray color.

“I don’t think his tentacles have developed fully. Not those two anyway,” Alec said, showing Magnus their son’s tentacles. The five white ones had normal suckers on the underside now, small but fully developed. The two gray ones still only had tiny buds on them.

Magnus took his baby in his arms, pressing kisses to every tentacle. “Do you think I did something…?”

Alec cut his mate off, stopping those thoughts in their tracks. “Neither of us did anything. No matter if they develop or not, he is beautiful and we love him. That’s all that matters,” he said.

“Of course we do,” Magnus said, gazing into Theodore’s beautiful hazel eyes, the pupils round. They were an exact replica of Alec’s but shaped the same as his own. 

All of their babies had Alec’s plump lips. A few of them had his perfectly arched brows too. Six of them had Magnus’ smaller triangular-shaped brows and they all had the exact same shaped eyes as him. They all had human torsos, with human heads, chests, and arms but their bodies all ended in tentacles where a human baby would have a navel. All in all, a perfect mixture of both of them. 

“Alexander, do you think I can meet your family now?” Magnus asked, dragging his eyes away from his babies to meet his mate’s gaze. He knew that Alec had only kept them away while he was pregnant because it was a natural Cecaelia trait but he was dying to meet them and introduce them to the newest members of the family. 

“I’m still a little…”  _ protective, overbearing, I selfishly don’t want to share,  _ Alec thought, wanting to wrap his arms around his family and introduce anyone who wanted to come near them to his tentacles.

“Please. I want to show my babies off,” Magnus said. Surges of love and pride had been sweeping through him. They were all so beautiful. Any Cecaelia would want to show them off.

Alec let out a deep sigh but gave in. How could he resist his beautiful mate? Handing several babies over to the care of Magnus’ hovering tentacles he forced himself up off the rock. Aurora clung to him and started screaming when he tried to pry her off his chest.

“Take her with you,” Magnus said, even though he wanted to keep her close. He knew that she would be safe with her father. “Papa loves you,” he said, reaching out to stroke a tentacle over his daughter’s back for a moment.

Although he would never say it to his mate, Alec secretly loved that their daughter wanted to stay with him. He adored the feeling of her tiny suckers holding on so tightly. He had to exert some serious control over his tentacles to move, they didn’t want to leave his babies or mate, but he managed to force them into submission.

Clutching Aurora to his chest, hands rubbing over her back as she settled, Alec swam through the underground tunnels that connected the wet caves, passing through three caves to reach the entrance. When he got there, he started dismantling the barricade that he had built out of Magnus’ items that he hadn’t repurposed yet, with his tentacles.

Alec watched his daughter look around at the commotion, careful to keep everything away from her. She already looked inquisitive but he knew she was just looking at the colors. Magnus was like a magpie, loved bright, shiny things. He couldn’t say that he blamed his mate, Magnus had a flair for art and was very creative. Their home was lovely.

Finally clearing the way, Alec peeked out of the cave entrance, carefully checking the wider ocean around him. Luckily, he didn’t have to go far. Waving his arm, he signaled to his sister when he saw Izzy hanging around the coral that surrounded the cave systems. There were a few, all joined up to one another but each system had its own entrance, making them great homes.

Izzy sped toward her brother when she saw that the barricade was gone, her tentacles quivering with anticipation. She knew he had mated! Ignoring Alec completely, her eyes honed in on the baby that clung to him, excitement welling up. It took a lot of restraint on her part not to snatch the baby out of his massive hands and inspect every inch of it but the expression on her brother’s face held her back. And his tentacles.

Alec’s tentacles flared when his sister was close enough to touch. Until she fixed her gaze on him, one eyebrow raised, explicitly telling him how ridiculous he was being. When she reached out, tentatively, keeping eye contact with him, he forced his appendages to behave.

Izzy fell in love the moment she touched her niece, realizing that Alec held a girl. The tiny golden tentacles and eyes were beautiful. She knew better than to try and take the baby into her arms so soon but she stroked her fingers over the child’s small head, laughter bubbles escaping when she saw a few soft hairs starting to sprout. 

Alec leaned into Izzy’s tentacle when it cupped his face, seeing the love that she already felt for his daughter in her brown eyes. When she looked up at him once more, a question clear on her face, he nodded. He wanted to be back with his mate and the rest of his babies. 

Alec waited while Izzy swam off to fetch the rest of the family. It didn’t take long. They were only next door. His first instinct when he saw his siblings and parents all emerge from the cave entrance was to chase them all away but he restrained himself with a monumental effort. Too impatient to wait, he swam back into the cave when they all got close.

Breaking the surface in the first cave, Alec waited for his family to join him. “Wait! Just wait,” he said when they all broke the surface and started bombarding him with a barrage of questions at once. “This is Aurora. Meet your family, baby,” he said to his daughter, fighting all of his instincts to show her to them.

“Alexander, she is beautiful,” Maryse cooed, shoving all of her children and her mate out of the way with her tentacles to get to her granddaughter. When Alec let her close, she stroked her fingers over the baby’s golden tentacles, dying of love overload when one of them wrapped around her finger. 

“I’m proud of you, Son, she’s a beauty,” Robert said, batting Maryse’s tentacles out of the way so he could get a good look. Their tentacles almost started fighting under the water, already protective of the youngling.

“Does she have any brothers and sisters?” Robert asked, reluctantly making some room for his children to crowd around. Most Cecaelia matings produced between six and eight children on average, sometimes less, occasionally more. Most couples could mate every couple of months if they chose to, which enabled them to produce a lot of children. He and Maryse had only had four but he loved them all.

“We had ten altogether,” Alec said, his chest swelling with pride when they all gawked at him.

“Stud,” Jace said, holding a tentacle up for a high-seven, which Alec left hanging.

“Thirsty much?” Izzy snorted while doing her best not to clap her hands together like a demented seal. Ten nieces and nephews! 

“Dude, you have no chill,” Max laughed, raising a tentacle for a tentacle bump. Alec also left him hanging.

Robert didn’t say anything, his thoughts inappropriate. He would absolutely be strutting amongst his friends, proclaiming his son’s virility for all to hear, however.

“Your poor mate!” Maryse exclaimed, her hole clenching just thinking about pushing ten babies out. Her own four had been tiring enough. Even after all these years, she remembered birthing them like it was yesterday. “Where is he? I want to meet him,” she said.

“You can all follow me. Please don’t crowd them though,” Alec said. He made to move back but his mother looked like she wasn’t ready to let go of his daughter. 

“Can I hold her?” Maryse asked hopefully. She thought that Alec was going to say no at first but he relented eventually. She took her beautiful granddaughter into her arms, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out when her mate gave her a dirty look, clearly jealous. 

“Come on,” Alec said, sticking to his mom’s side like glue. It was slow going, his tentacles kept trying to take the baby back from Maryse but he fought them to lead his family to his mate and children. 

“Everyone, this is Magnus,” Alec said, before pointing each family member out to his mate when they reached the main cave.

Magnus nodded a greeting to each person that Alec pointed out but his eyes kept flicking to Aurora where she was held against Alec’s mother’s chest. 

Magnus fought the irrational need to snatch his baby away from the stranger who held her, warring with his tentacles when she came near. To placate them, he plugged six of his babies’ mouths up with nipples. If they were feeding the children, his tentacles wouldn’t go crazy on his new mother.

“It’s nice to meet you all, finally,” Magnus said, grinning when his mate ducked his head as Alec joined him on the rock he rested on. “Alexander told me about you all but he never spoke of how beautiful his mother and sister were,” he said smoothly. It was true, both women were pretty. He even saw a hint of them both in his girls.

“A smooth-talker, huh?” Maryse asked as she stroked her fingers over Aurora’s back. “I like him already, Alec,” she chuckled, taking a seat next to Magnus when it was offered. She handed the baby over, knowing that Magnus would want her close.

Against his better instincts, Magnus let them all crowd around as he introduced them to his children. They were family now, after all. 

“Sorry I chased you away. I didn’t know who you were,” Magnus said to Izzy when she cooed over the babies that clung to his stomach and chest. “Would you like to hold one?” he asked to make amends for his behavior.

“Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have gotten in the way,” Izzy said, her hands itching to grab as many babies as possible and smush her face into them. She settled for two.

“These are Benjamin and Mina,” Alec said, handing the babies over to Izzy who nuzzled into their bellies as soon as she had them in her grasp. When he got the nod from his mate, he scooped up two more. “Dad, meet Antonio and Adrian.”

Robert took the boys into his arms, laughing when their tentacles wrapped around his forearms. “Beautiful,” he muttered. He wasn’t crying. At. All. 

“Jace?” Magnus asked the blonde, smiling when his new brother held his hands out. “Meet Aurora and Lilly,” he said, letting Jace take them before turning to Max who almost flew at him to take a couple of babies. “Eli and Theodore,” he said, laughing when Max scooped them up.

“Mom, meet Vivien and Ezra,” Alec said, handing the last of his babies over. He took Magnus’ hand in his own when the two of them were baby-free, feeling strangely sad. They were surrounded by their babies and family and yet, he already felt a little lost without them. 

Magnus stroked his thumb over the back of Alec’s hand, watching his new family fawn over the babies. Ever since they had left his body he had felt oddly empty. He could see how much they all already adored the children but it didn’t make him feel, any better. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold them back, he let his tentacles hover over his children, Alec doing the same.

“Jace!” Alec growled through gritted teeth, ready to snatch his girls back when he saw Jace holding a girl in each hand, making them fight each other on the surface of the water. Well, mock fight. His stomach still dropped through his hole watching his brother.

“Calm down, you crazy crustacean. We’re only playing. Aren’t we?” Jace asked, smushing the girls to his neck when Alec looked like he was about to take them off him. A laugh escaped him when their small tentacle suckered to his shoulders and one of Lilly’s poked up his nose.

“Look!” Max said, gripping Eli and Theodore with his tentacles to secure them when their small appendages started turning to two pairs of small human legs. Holding them with his tentacles, he turned them so he could cradle one in each arm.

“Already?” Maryse asked, crowding around with everyone else. “Isabelle was the quickest to go through her first transformation. The rest of you were lazy lobsters. Alec was three days old. We thought he wouldn’t transform at all, at first, didn’t we?” she asked Robert.

Magnus and Alec shot forward in the water, each of them taking a baby in their arms. 

Magnus turned to meet Alec’s gaze when he had hold of Theodore. The two children looked like human babies now. “Alexander,” he said, nodding down at their son’s legs. One was the looked okay but the other looked limp, his son’s foot turned at an odd angle, as though the bones hadn’t developed. 

Magnus glared at his new family, daring them to say anything about his son. He didn’t know them all that well and he liked them based on his first impressions but he would happily strangle any of them with his tentacles if they dared utter a word against his Theodore.

“Hey, baby. You’re beautiful, aren’t you?” Maryse murmured, stroking a tentacle over Theodore’s legs. She didn’t even notice the challenge in Magnus’ eyes. “Life might be a little harder for him but we’ll all be here to help him overcome those challenges if he needs us. Although, if he is anything like his daddy, he’ll find a way to adapt. Won’t you, precious boy? Yes,” she cooed.

“Of course we will,” Robert said, smiling when everyone fussed Theodore. Everyone was holding the babies out of the water, waiting to see if any of them would follow after their brothers.

“They’re not so bad, huh?” Alec grinned, nuzzling into his mate when Magnus exhaled a deep breath.

“No, they aren’t,” Magnus said, grinning when he looked around at his new family, all of them fussing the babies with kisses and tentacles. 

It didn’t take long for the rest of the babies to follow Theodore and Eli. All of them started sprouting legs after a little while. Ezra was the slowest and had cute, chubby little legs to match the rest of his chubby body.

When a few of the children started grizzling, Magnus made Izzy, Maryse, and Max sit with him on the rock so they could continue to hold them while he nursed them. It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep, each issuing snuffly, soft little snores. He made the others rotate so he could feed the rest of them.

“You’re going to have your tentacles full until the day they are big enough to fend for themselves,” Maryse chuckled, nodding her approval at Magnus’ rotation method.  _ Whatever works, _ she thought. 

“Ha, you assume we are ever letting them leave home,” Alec muttered, stroking his fingers over Eli’s head while Magnus nursed him. He caught Magnus’ eye and turned to his parents when Magnus gave him the nod. 

“Would the two of you consider sticking around for a little while, just until they’re a couple of weeks old and we settle into a routine?” Alec asked. Despite the fact that Maryse and Robert were only friends, they had been fantastic parents. They could do with all of the help that they could get.

“The caves next door seem comfortable enough,” Maryse agreed, ecstatic that the boys wanted her and Robert to stick around.

“We would be happy to,” Robert agreed, bouncing his sleeping grandchildren in his arms.

“What about the rest of us? Don’t we get an invite?” Max sulked. Jace and Izzy nodded their agreement.

“Of course. As long as you find your own caves,” Alec grinned. It had been a while since he’d spent time with Jace and Max, they had both stayed behind while he and Izzy had been living the human life. That didn’t mean he wanted them living in the caves with them.

“I already have one picked out,” Izzy grinned. “Although, I think I’ll ask Magnus to help me decorate it. This place is fabulous,” she said, looking around.

“Would you like a tour?” Magnus asked. When they all nodded, he led the way. Each of the babies transformed back to their Cecaelia forms when they were underwater again. All of them slept through it. 

They would keep the babies underwater most of the time until they were at least a year old. It would be easier to manage them that way. Especially when it came time for them to learn to swim and walk. It wouldn’t be long before they were driving the two of them crazy with their antics. And Magnus was looking forward to every minute of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to those of you on Twitter who gave me the names I used <3


End file.
